Firsts
by E-Zone 10
Summary: Maki didn't often willingly socialize with others. Due to conflicting interests, a choice is no longer an option. (Rewritten Maki's Rules)
1. Prologue

On a cool spring morning, the sound of an alarm is what stirs up a redhead by the name of Maki Nishkino from slumber. Shutting off the alarm, she looks at the clock on her wall. 6:00 am, it read. The alarm was set an hour earlier than what was normal for a school day. The reasoning being that it's the first day of school. The first day of her first year of high school. Her parents had taught her that a first impression was everything, and there was no way Maki was going to be late. Not even if she hated mornings.

Otonokizaka High School was the school she would be attending. A small school located between the Akihabara and Kanda districts. It wasn't Maki's first choice of school, but her parents fell in love over the idea of her going to a lower profile school. It also helped that her own mother and the principal are friends from some time ago. Maki would have much preferred to go to UTX, located in the heart of Akihabara, a school that screams modern day technology. Naturally, Maki was attracted to it. However, her protests to her parents fell on deaf ears. She couldn't be too upset about it. It didn't really change the endgame.

After going through her morning hygiene protocol and getting dressed, Maki looked herself over in the mirror. One thing she did give Otonokizaka credit for, was the uniforms. The nearly all white of the UTX uniform looked great, but she had to admit that the Otonokizaka uniforms had a little bit more flavor about it. It might've been the blue. Satisfied with her appearance, it was time for her to head out.

Maki didn't live too far from Otonokizaka, a fact that she was thankful for, as she didn't particularly enjoy public transportation. Walking was healthier, for her body, and probably her sanity too. Plus, the walk to school takes her through the ever bustling Akihabara district. Though, she didn't know how she would feel walking by the UTX school every day, as she was doing now. Maki stopped to admire the building, an impressive skyscraper. What was even more impressive was the amount of people gathered by the building. Some were students, donning the UTX uniform, and to Maki's surprise, some, actually most weren't.

She didn't have to wait long to find out what the commotion was about, as the video board above the schools entrance began to show a young brunette girl with sparkling green eyes, in a militia style outfit.

"Hello everybody! My name is Tsubasa Kira. Leader of UTX's school idol group, A-Rise! I'd like to be the first to welcome all of our new and returning students! Here's to another year of excellence at UTX!" Then, two other girls appeared to either side of Tsubasa. Both sporting the militia like outfit that Tsubasa wore. "Now, we would like to usher in the new school year with a special performance!"

 _A school idol group huh?_ Maki thought to herself as the music began to play. Maki wasn't too interested in the idol themselves, but she loved music, and rightfully thought herself to be quite the talented pianist, and she even could compose music. She momentarily thought about if she could have used her talents as a musician had she attended UTX. Alas, she had get a move on. She put her laments to the side, and continued on walking. There was another school she had to be at.

When Maki arrived at the school, her first impressions of Otonokizaka could be summarized with one word: simple. Not that it was a bad thing, even as Maki enjoyed an upper class lifestyle, she would admit that there was something to be said for keeping things simple. Still, it was clear that it wasn't a UTX. Upon entry into the building, Maki was greeted by two signs. New students were to report to the auditorium for orientation, while second and third years were free to head upstairs. _Orientations... Ugh._

Getting to the auditorium was easy. Directions for the first year were posted in the hallways, guiding her there. Maki didn't see anyone on the way there that she could identify as a fellow first year, it was slightly unsettling, but she rationalized that she was rather early. Once she was inside the auditorium, Maki took a seat near the back. Her only company being a couple of other first years, seated near the front. After a few minutes, more first years began pouring in, and a girl, blonde with a ponytail, arrived at the podium on stage. She tapped the microphone a couple of times, and began to speak.

"Good morning everyone! And welcome to Otonokizaka High! My name is Eli Ayase, your student council president. I would like to-"

It wasn't that Maki didn't want to listen to Eli, but she knew that most of what was being said wasn't going to be entirely important, and that something like this was just a formality. While Eli was speaking, Maki quickly surveyed the auditorium. There wasn't many others there, actually, if Maki had to wager a guess, there was only one class worth of new students. A guess which would have been spot on.

"-and since we only have enough new students for a single class of first years, and the bell for classes doesn't ring for another few minutes" Eli began, "I would like to encourage you all to interact with your new classmates."

On the outside, Maki sat with a completely neutral expression. On the inside, her imaginary self was banging her had on an imaginary desk. She _really_ didn't want to do this. It wasn't that she didn't like people, but Maki kept her distance from others by choice. Even now, sitting in the back, away from the other students who were beginning to introduce themselves to each other. _If I have to..._ Deciding to not look like an outcast, Maki looked for someone to make an acquaintance with. She didn't have to look very far however, or even look at all.

"Hello!" A girl with short, orange hair and yellow eyes appeared next to Maki from seemingly out of nowhere. Behind her was another girl with brunette hair and glasses.

"Hello," Maki cautiously replied.

"You know, I saw you when I walked in here nya. I wondered why you were sitting by yourself all the way in the back, I figured it was because you were lonely-"

 _Right... lonely._ Maki thought

"-but I took another look at you, and you actually look totally familiar nya!"

"Really?" said Maki, not recalling ever seeing the girl before in her life.

"Yeah! I-" She was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder from the girl next to her, whom proceeded to whisper something into the orange haired girls ear. Which prompted a sorry look appearing. "I'm sorry nya, I got ahead of myself again. My name is Rin," Rin gestures to the girl next to her, "And this is my best friend, Kayochin."

"I-it's nice to meet you," said Hanayo.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Maki. Maki Nishkino."

Rin let out and audible gasp "That's it!"

"What is?" Maki asked.

"That's how I know you! You're that girl from the hospital! I used to get hurt a lot, and I saw you sometimes when I was in the general hospital, I tried saying hi, but you never seemed to hear me nya.."

Maki's eyes grew wide, as it began to come back to her. Now that she'd been made to think about it, she could remember a girl looking like Rin from the hospital from her younger days. It wasn't that Maki couldn't hear her, Rin was loud enough for the entire hospital floor to hear, but she more or less ignored her back then. Maki found it hard to believe that she's actually seeing her again.

"But hey!" Rin continued, "It doesn't really matter now nya! We'll be going to the same school, and be in the same class, isn't that cool? And-" Rin kept going, and Rin could talk for hours, and she was displaying a little bit of that here. Maki didn't mind however, she nodded periodically to let Rin know she heard, and Rin's friend, whom Maki quickly knew as Hanayo, rather than Kayochin was also content to also listen in. This was better than actually having a back and forth conversation in Maki's mind.

She was distant by choice, after all.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note:**_ If you feel like you've read this before, then you probably have. I decided to re-write Maki's Rules, as you can see, it even has a new title. The reason for this is because while writing the original final chapter, I hit a hard stop because I really wasn't happy with how it was written, and I felt like a hard reset was necessary. The story at it's core won't change, but the goal here is to make it a more cohesive and easier to follow story.


	2. Project: MakiRinPana

_**One week later...**_

Maki entered her living room, pen and notepad in hand. Waiting for her on a couch were Hanayo, and a currently sleeping Rin. Her head resting comfortably on Hanayo's lap. Maki invited the two over in order to complete their group assignment. The class was paired up, but due to an odd number of students, Maki, Rin, and Hanayo were made a group of three. Taking a seat on the chair across from Rin and Hanayo, she got ready to write.

"So, Hanayo, tell me a little about yourself."

"W-well, I.. uh.." Hanayo's voice was so quiet, that Maki almost didn't hear what she said.

Maki sighed internally. She thought back to the orientation on the first day. _'She didn't say anything then, and she didn't say anything on the way over. I got the feeling that she was shy but..'_

"I'm sorry, that might have been too much of an open question," Maki said. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"W-well.." Before Hanayo could clam up again, she's saved by a voice coming from her lap.

"You're scaring her nya," Rin said, rising up from Hanayo's lap and stretching her limbs.

"I'm not scaring her," Maki retorted. "Am I?" A quick glance at Hanayo's face was all the answer Maki needed. She was a monster.

"You've got the pen and paper, and you're going to write down everything she says nya," Rin continued, "This is more of an interrogation than getting to know her."

Sighing, Maki put down her pen and notepad beside her. She had to concede that Rin had a point. The purpose of the assignment was to write a paper about the person, or in Maki's case, the people you were paired with. Not small things they could just tell you, like their favorite color. Things that you could only learn by spending time with them, and things that you've learned from them. After this attempt, it was clear that it was going to be more difficult than what she originally thought.

"Okay, well... we can forget about that for now, but we should get the rest of our homework done."

"Homework?! But I wanna do something fun nya..." Rin whined, "You're rich, aren't you Maki-chan? There's gotta be something fun we could do... Oh!" Rin clasped her hands together, "Do you have a private jet?"

"What? Of course I don't, what made you think I would have one?"

"Don't all rich people have private jets?"

Maki pinned the bridge of her nose and let out a breath. "No Rin, of course not. Even if I did, we wouldn't be taking a ride on it. Just because you want to slack off on homework doesn't mean I want to."

"Oh alright Maki-chan.." said Rin.

"Alright then, with the three of us, we shouldn't take too long." Maki said, and the three took out their books, and began to get to work.

Despite the three of them being in the same, and only first years class, Rin and Hanayo worked together, while Maki went on her own. Maki didn't particularly mind, she found it often better to be working alone. She always thought that things would be quicker without having to pause for the input of another person. Maki's theory wouldn't be proved wrong today either.

"Alright, I'm finished with English," said Maki. Gaining the attention of her study buddies.

"S-sorry Maki-chan, we're still a little bit behind," said Hanayo.

"You're fine, I'll wait for you two." Maki said, standing up. "I'm going to go get a drink, and maybe some fresh air."

After Maki left the living room, Rin sighed, and put her head on Hanayo's shoulder. "Kayochin..."

"I know, Rin-chan. Maybe you should ask Maki-chan? She's doing well."

"I don't want to nya," Rin said.

"Why not?"

"I said I didn't want to ask you for help in school anymore." Rin lifted her head up, "I don't want to lean on you Kayochin."

"But Rin-chan, Maki-chan is a really good student. She'd be able to help."

"Yeah but we're so early in the school year, and asking for help even though I said I wouldn't..." Rin's voice, began to waver, "It... it makes feel.." Rin doesn't get to finish her sentence, as Hanayo gently pulls her into a hug.

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

Walking into her kitchen, Maki is greeted by the sound of a hummed melody. It's a very familiar sound, one that Maki enjoyed, but it ends for her much too quickly, as her next step alerts the source to her presence.

"Oh! Welcome, Lady Nishkino." A middle aged woman, with long and dark hair wrapped up in a bun, wearing a long dressed maid outfit greeted Maki.

"Akari-san, I told you, feel free to just call me Maki."

"I know, but as the maid, it's important to keep up appearances when the house has guests," Akari says, resuming her mopping of the kitchen.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll be grabbing a drink," Maki says, walking to the refrigerator.

"Would you like some Sencha?"

"No thanks, I'll actually just be grabbing a bottle of water." Grabbing said bottle, Maki ponders the offer. Looking back to Akari, "Could I have a couple of cups made for my company?" Akari chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh it's nothing," Akari says, making a smooth and stylish stride to the cupboards to prepare the tea. "It's just that I began to wonder if you'd ever grow out of your shell."

"Shell?"

Akari nodded, and turned to face Maki, giving her full attention as the Sencha began to steam. "You've always kept to yourself, you've never had someone over until now. Instead of being outside and playing with the other kids, you'd much rather stay inside and play the piano. You never connected with the other kids around you, I worried for your social skills.."

"You sound like a mother." Maki said, taking a sip of from her bottle, "You'd be a good one, you should find a nice guy and settle down."

"I'm being serious, Lady Nishkino."

"So am I."

The two were quiet for a moment, but then burst into laughter. "So," Akari began, putting the finishing touches on the Sencha tea, pouring water from the cups into the teapot. "What's the catch?"

Maki immediately knew what she meant. "I brought them here because we're working on a class assignment. It hasn't started well though."

"What's the project about?"

"I don't want to get into it."

"Will I be seeing the two around here often?"

"I don't know yet."

"What happens after the assignment is complete?"

Maki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Akari put her finger to her chin in a half mocking, half serious motion, tapping a couple of times. "Nothing at all."

"I need some fresh air." Maki says, turning on a heel and walking out of the kitchen.

"Oh that Maki." Akari giggled, putting the cups of Sencha tea on a tray, and headed towards the living room.

Maki took a deep breath, the cool spring air was nice. There was a particularly sweet fragrance in the air, but Maki couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. It didn't matter though, it smelled good, and that's what really mattered. She couldn't really enjoy it though, her mind was too preoccupied with what Akari told her earlier. There was truth to it, Maki could admit, but she never thought of keeping to herself to be a bad thing. ' _What happens after...'_ Part of Maki wanted to go back and get a proper answer from Akari about what she meant, but she knew it would be a fruitless endeavor. _'She plays too many mind games with me'._ The bottle of water was empty, and Maki figured she was away for long enough. It was time to head back to the living room and finish up.

* * *

Making her way back to the living room, Maki pauses as she steps back inside. Rin and Hanayo were both in the same spots on the couch, but they were sitting much closer together, and facing each other. Maki could see their lips move, but she couldn't hear anything. Whatever they were talking about, it was clear that they didn't want to be overheard. Maki glanced at the living room table, the cups that held the Sencha tea were still emitting smoke. Hopefully that meant they didn't like their tea to be too hot.

Maki simply stood there, waiting for them to finish their conversation, or for them to notice her presence. Whichever came first. It would've been a long wait, as Rin and Hanayo were stuck in their own little world. Maki would have waited longer, but she had homework to finish.

"Did you two enjoy the tea?" Maki interrupted, Rin and Hanayo turned to her quickly, startled by the sudden intervention. Not giving Rin and Hanayo a chance to answer, Maki continues, "I'm sorry." Maki said, sitting down at her previous spot in the chair. "I wanted to wait for you two to finish, but it looked like that would take awhile."

Rin bashfully rubbed the back of her head, "Heh, sorry about that Maki-chan."

Maki waved her hand, "It's fine. It's going to get late soon, we should probably finish up."

Hanayo nodded her agreement, while Rin just stayed quiet. Even though she talked about it with Hanayo, she wasn't fully on board with the idea of asking Maki for help. She's always struggled in her studies, and she's always leaned on Hanayo. She didn't want to do it anymore, especially now that she was in high school. However, because she was in high school now, she couldn't afford now to struggle like before. Even though it was early in the school year, it didn't take long for Rin and Hanayo, and the rest of Otonokizaka's first years for that matter, to realize that Maki was really, really smart.

"Hey, Maki-chan?" Rin mumbled, not quietly enough, as Maki pauses her work and looks up at Rin. Wordlessly heeding her call. "I'm uh..." Rin rubbed the back of her head much like before, "I'm having a little trouble with this part nya, could you help me out?"

Maki was taken back. Not by the question itself; Maki took fleeting looks around whenever she was bored, and whenever her eyes landed on Rin, Rin looked as bored as she was. But she knew they were bored for very different reasons. Maki was taken back by the question actually being asked to her. For a moment, Maki's eyes drifted to Hanayo, whom seemed to be immersed with her own work. ' _Did_ _she actually say no?'_ Maki thought, _'No, that's not it. Hmm..'_

The sound of fingers snapping brings Maki back to reality, facing Rin, and now Hanayo, who was looking at her with concern. "Maki-chan?" Hanayo says, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Hanayo." Maki then turns to Rin, if she needed help, then it couldn't be helped. "Show me what exactly you're having problems with."

* * *

 _ **Authors Note:**_

Myself, and therefore this story, aren't dead yet. Very close, but not quite. Anyways, this chapter likely going to be the single biggest deviation from Maki's Rules. Things should look more familiar from here on out. Thanks for reading (also for the patience), reviews always appreciated.


End file.
